Hilary Durwood writes his father a letter of confession from the London gaol in which he awaits execution. Eager for glory as an explorer in the further reaches of the Empire he is duped into undertaking a semi-mythical mission, in semi-mythical lands. After many adventures and setbacks he returns to London destitute, dismayed at having killed someone, and seeking revenge against the Gentleman Explorer who set him up. Meanwhile a serial killer, The Slasher, stalks the streets and inevitably their paths will cross. Hilary has survived dangerous islanders who are intent on eating human flesh, a huge cat with a wooden leg, a giant centipede, and a man who is determined to taste every animal on the planet. He has been fed by birds bringing hallucinogenic berries and held up the crumbling Tower of Ectha. And now Hilary must write his final letter and contemplate the nature of murder and of guilt. This dark comedy thriller is a page-turning and riotous engagement with the notions and myths of Empire, the nature of reality, the power of narrative and the gullibility of those who wish to believe, even in the face of the truth.